The Graeme Clark Oration at MCEC: an end to global poverty?

More than 1,700 people gathered in the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre’s (MCEC) Plenary for a free public event to hear about the evidence, challenges and extraordinary successes in reducing mortality and disease at The Graeme Clark Oration on Monday 29 April 2013.

Oration speaker panel on MCEC’s plenary stage

The Club Melbourne Ambassador Program is a sponsor of the ICT for Life Sciences Forum initiative which was this year delivered by Geoffrey Lamb, President of Global Policy and Advocacy, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Lamb demonstrated the evidence and challenges facing global health showing how investments in health have been critical for economic growth and reducing the global poverty line.

ICT for Life Sciences Forum’s Convenor Luan Ismahil said: “The Oration at MCEC has become a major public science event that is well supported by the Melbourne community.

“The support of the Club Melbourne Ambassador Program contributed to the best Oration yet, enabling people from Melbourne’s life sciences research community, government and business to come together and celebrate advances in global health and Australia’s role in this important endeavour.”

The Oration coincided with the International Day of Immunology which aims to strengthen public awareness of the importance of the immune system to health and wellbeing.

Club Melbourne General Manager Suzana Bishop said: “Melbourne is at the core of world-renowned immunology research and we are proud to have some of the best researchers involved with our Program.”

The Graeme Clark Oration, dedicated to the scientist’s pioneering research and development of the world’s first bionic ear, began in 2008 and has become a landmark event in Victoria’s life sciences calendar.

The Club Melbourne Ambassador Program is an initiative of MCEC and supported by Melbourne Convention Bureau and the State Government of Victoria.